Six Simple Ways To Up Your 2022 Decorating Game
How do we feel about New Years? I personally, like to be in bed by 10pm so this isn’t exactly my most celebrated holiday, however, I enjoy a good introspective moment and any resolution one makes (any day of the year) to better yourself, by improving your health, relationships, happiness etc., I think is worth celebrating!!!
If you are looking to up your interior decorating and design game this year I’ve pulled together six simple ways to instantly improve your home’s interior for 2022. If you are looking for instant satisfaction take advantage of those boxing week (month!) sales to implement some of these changes right away or spread these out every other month in 2022 to see the improvements in full impact before next year. Review the list below and let me know in comments which one you think will make the most difference to your home (I know I need to upgrade some light fixtures around here)!
Refocus Your Design:
Colour Palette Inspiration- Julia DeDecker Interiors
What better way to ring in the new year than to say goodbye to the junk (literal and figurative) that is cluttering your life and refocus on what serves you?! Start this exercise with identifying your design goals. What colours will be in your palette? What design style(s) are you hoping to achieve? and how do you want to feel in your home? A good way to organize these thoughts is to make an inspiration or a mood board. If this seems out of your league this is something a Design Consultant can help you with. Now consider everything in your house and ask yourself: “Does this support the design I am striving for in my home?” If the answer is no then sell, donate or reimagine (need a new frame? a coat of paint?). By letting go of that decor or the design elements that don’t support our current design vision we are a step closer to achieving that clear and cohesive design story in our homes. If you are working on a tight budget, sell as many items as possible on facebook marketplace or hold a lawn sale to put more funds back into your design budget. Also know that identifying what works and what doesn’t is a big step and replacing the items that don’t work does not have to happen all at once- move at a pace that is manageable for your budget. Over time your design vision will shine through.
2. Manage The Eyesores:
Open a magazine or scroll through the photos of a well staged home for sale and you may notice some things are missing. You will not see many appliances on the countertop, garbage pails, stacks of flyers or even televisions or electrical cords because these items do not add to the design and can very much distract from the pleasantness of a well designed room. But we live in the real world and need to consider these eye sores in our design plan because our homes are filled with bagel eating, garbage making, phone charging, Yellowstone watching people. So let’s consider each eyesore realistically and determine what solution will help us keep organized and stylish this year. Here are some common eye sores I see in most homes (including mine)- kitchen appliances, televisions and electronic cords:
a) Ugly small appliance sitting our your counter?- consider buying a more design forward replacement. There are many brands that carry display-worthy appliances (check out brands such as Haden or SMEG ) that can coordinate with your kitchen colour palette and finishes instead of cluttering the space with an eyesore ( Budget hack: this would make a great Birthday or Christmas list item as well).
b) I don’t know many people who do not watch television. You will often see beautiful family rooms photographed without a television. Sometimes instead of a TV they may show a TV sized painting where the TV could go to avoid the large (and TVs these days are large) black rectangle in their carefully designed room, and this makes sense to me when your goal is to design the best esthetically pleasing room. When you are designing a room with a TV do not forget that in the middle of your beautiful room will be a big black box. So plan that TV into your design, maybe use some of these tricks:
-Install (or have someone much handier than you, install) a TV lift, as seen here by Joinery Design Co.
-Upgrade to a frame TV, allowing you to display art when the TV is not in use- digital art is so widely available these days you can swap this out easier and cheaper than a painting and works well to change with the seasons. I’ve seen this over a fireplace or console as part of a gallery wall. The TV is unrecognizable when not in use. Budget hack - any smart TV can display art by simply displaying art using the YouTube app on your tv (simply search TV art on YouTube). This makes for a great short term/temporary fix you could use when hosting a party.
c) last but not least, the wires! If you can see the cords from your lamps or electronics do your best to hide the wires that cannot be eliminated from your room. I am not the first person to have this idea so check out Pinterest for great tutorials (including this one by The Rambling Renovators). Here are some links to items I use in my home that may assist you:
HADEN- Hertitage 4-Slice Toaster, Black and Copper
Snowy scene art for TV- You Tube
Samsung Frame TV
3. Raise your curtains:
Take inventory of your curtains. If the curtains and rod are hugging the window frame you probably should make the following adjustments:
-Remove the curtains and hardware from the wall, patch (spackle, sand, paint) the holes left from the screws.
-Measure 4-6inches above your window frame (more if your ceilings are very high) and leave enough room on either side of the window to store curtains when open while only slightly covering the window casing. It is possible your old hardware may extend to the necessary length, but if your curtains were not pooling on the ground, you will have to purchase new curtains that are of appropriate length for their upgraded install. Steam out those wrinkles for bonus points!
-Budget tip: if your curtains have a wide hem at the bottom you may be able to find extra length in your existing curtains by letting out the hem and using curtain clips to hang them at their new height. If you do need new curtains try IKEAs RITVA or their other light filtering options as a budget friendly replacement (make sure you purchase ones of correct length). These can look professional when hung correctly using the pinch pleat or curtain clips method.
As shown in the example below, curtains hung above and past the window frame can make a room look larger, increases the natural light that enters the room and makes simple curtains look that much more expensive and custom.
4. Upgrade the pillows:
Pillows- Tonic Living
Trying to style a couch or bed with too stiff or too flimsy pillows can be a hopeless task. Open almost any magazine spread of a bed or couch and you will see multiple, full pillows. A few quality pillows and proper inserts can upgrade a room. If custom pillows made with designer fabrics are not in your budget, don’t worry. Shop zippered pillow covers at a store like Homesense and swap the stiff and or deflated pillow inserts with a down or down alternative insert that fills your pillow fully (usually this means ordering an insert around 2 sizes larger than the pillow cover itself). Check out these inserts on Amazon, size up when you purchase (I buy size 26x26 for my 22x22 pillow covers). If you are looking for some new covers that won’t break the bank I’d suggest Etsy, where you can purchase pillows with designer fabric (one sided to save on costs) for a good price. Another source to check out is Tonic Living. This is my go to place for pillows because they sell beautiful, quality pillow covers (their inserts are quality too and there is no need to size up when purchasing inserts from them).
Lastly if you are confused as to how many pillows, what sizes and how to mix and match patterns like designers (I hope to post about that soon) do check out Danielle Oakey’s shop. She provides the option to purchase her beautiful pillows in premade combos for couches, sectionals etc. I have purchased covers from her and they are amazing!
5. Area Rugs To Scale:
When I am asked for advice of how to update or style a room I consider adding or upgrading the existing area rug. There may be some people out there who don’t ‘like’ rugs. But let’s assume those people aren’t here because if you are here, you are interested in decor and you probably understand the value of an area rug. It is a great way to add colour, layers in texture and defines a space, it can be another tool in your toolbox to tell the design story in your room. Area rugs can be vintage and collected (check out Etsy or Macleod Shoppe), washable (great for play rooms, kitchens) or plush and cozy. Rugs can vary greatly in price and it can be tempting to get a smaller size to save yourself $100 or hundreds of dollars, but I beg you.. do not size down. When using a rug in a space to define an area make sure that all the furniture is on (at least front legs) of that rug. The rug is a ship that should carry your furniture, not an island that sits in front of your furniture. Measure and then find a rug of the correct size that fits your budget and don’t be afraid to layer an area rug over carpet or add a rug pad to add cushion. This can make a cheaper rug feel more luxurious. Love rugs as much as I do? Consider layering multiple rugs! Looking for a new rug and no idea where to start? Check out Loloi- the collaborations with design legends are fantastic and there is something for everyone. These can be purchased from many Canadian retailers (including Macleod Shoppe, Modern Komfort, Wayfair, Amazon.ca).
6. Update Your Lighting Fixtures:
We get used to the light fixtures in our own homes. We see them everyday and sometimes the thought to swap them out for something else doesn’t even occur to us unless it is pointed out. So consider this section me, pointing at all your builder grade ‘boob lights’ or out dated fixtures and suggesting some upgrades. When selecting fixtures for your home consider what style and which finishes you have in your home (its ok to mix metals). This will make it easier to narrow down what you are looking for. Also consider how much light (how many bulbs do you need) and what kind of light (task, diffused, directional) you need for your room. Also, in one room try implementing layers of light- overhead lighting, wall sconces and lamps with coordinating bulbs. Layers of light can enhance your design and change the whole feel of a home. Need help coming up with a lighting plan- call a Design Consultant.
Budget hack: want to add lamps where you have no outlet, or a wall sconce but you do not want to hardwire a new electrical box? Check out this hack on Nesting With Grace- I can’t wait to try this in my home!
Safety note: swapping a light fixture is an easy enough DIY job but best to have a second set of hands, and a ladder. Make sure your power to the fixture is OFF (meaning the breaker is off, not just the switch) before you start. Look for a good tutorial before you attempt this yourself, but if you are at all hesitant call an electrician.
I hope you are able to find some great tips and above all the motivation from this post to apply these changes in your own home. I’d love to see your before and afters or hear which change made the biggest difference in your home!
Should you need assistance in defining your home’s style, upgrading your current style or sourcing new textiles, fixtures or furniture for your home give me a call.
Happy New Year!
